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It was the middle of the day. The sun was high in sky and the cricket ground was silent. The bowler stood a few paces behind the umpire, to his left. He was about to jog up to the wicket and lob the ball towards the batsman - a right-hander.It was a conventional 3-6 field for the offspinner. Mid-off and cover close together, and a first slip. The captain was more willing to concede runs square of the cover fielder than he was between cover and mid-off. That way, the batsman would have to drive more acutely against the spin. On the leg side, mid-on, midwicket and square leg formed a ring of three in front of the wicket. The fielder on the boundary behind square on the leg side was the lone boundary-rider. A forward short-leg and a leg gully completed the field.During the course of the day, the offspinners approach varies. Batsmen try to disturb the bowlers length using a variety of tactics. Some step out of the crease and drive, just to create doubt in the bowlers mind. Others play off the back foot repeatedly, an old-fashioned ploy that causes the bowlers length to be dragged fuller. When this happens, the batsman can drive with certainty.If the batsman gains the upper hand, perhaps the leg gully moves across the field to a deep point. The balance of the field changes to 4-5 and the line of attack moves further outside off stump, spinning in towards the stumps.If this doesnt work, the bowler moves to a round-the-wicket line - pitching on middle stump and straightening. The field changes back to 3-6. This is a difficult line to bowl. Even marginal mistakes can mean that the ball drifts past leg stump, eliminating the need for the batsman to protect his stumps. This is one of the reasons why offspinners bowling round the wicket to right-hand batsmen are often considered negative bowlers.And so it goes. The game of ploy and counter-ploy.Test cricket is marked on a ball-by-ball basis by the noticeable absence of violence. On most deliveries, the batsman is in a perfect position to play the ball and plays it without much fuss. It looks to the casual eye as if nothing much is happening.Imagine the following over from, say, Moeen Ali, to, say, Virat Kohli. The batsman has just walked in, his partner is batting with more than a hundred to his name. Over the last 20 years, we have seen countless such overs, especially late in the day or towards the end of a session of play, usually in the middle of a Test in India.Moeen begins over the wicket with a conventional 3-6 field. His first delivery is moderately flighted, on an excellent length outside off stump. Kohli takes a long stride down the wicket towards the off side, and aims a lofted drive over wide mid-on. He doesnt meet it perfectly, he is beaten in the flight. The ball lobs into the outfield on the leg side and a single ensues.The other batsman, a century to his name, takes strike and quietly takes a single to the deep point that was set for him. The field changes back to 3-6 for Kohli. This time, Moeen bowls the ball flatter, slightly straighter. Kohli plays well back and just for a moment, Moeen thinks he has beaten the bat; but Kohli had the ball covered.The ball isnt turning square. Moeens best chance is to try and beat Kohli in the flight, either off front or back foot. By changing his line of attack, Moeen has forced Kohli to defend his stumps. Kohli response is classic: he plays a couple of balls on merit. Both are on middle stump. Kohli defends the first one off the back foot, the second off the front foot into the leg side.Each time, he is careful not to move too far across his stumps, or to commit to playing forward too early. Off the last ball, he has his reward. Sensing that Kohli might try to attack again (given how Kohli began the over), Moeen fires the last one in across the stumps. It is flat, on a good length, and ends marginally outside off stump. Kohli is waiting. The resulting late cut produces two runs.The over yields four runs. At other times it might have produced none. The batsmen did not try anything expansive. The bowler did not get prodigious turn. But look a little closer and the over was delicately balanced, keenly contested. Moeen tried to pry open a moment when Kohli might be caught off-balance or might make a mistake judging the length. Kohli resisted successfully.Each style of bowler has his own lines of attack, his own well- used options for fields. Occasionally there might be a bowler who will demonstrate an innovation, but for the most part there are no surprises. This is the central feature of the elite cricketing contest. Both bowler and batsman are so good that very little comes as a surprise to either.Sometimes this produces a stalemate in which each side chooses to wait the other out. As many great Test players have explained over the years, sometimes it is better to let the bowler have the upper hand and play out a good spell. Or, as Nasser Hussains English tourists in 2001-02 did, to use exclusively defensive tactics to try to frustrate a great batsmans game. Hussain defended his approach, arguing that it was his job to win; it was not his job to make up the numbers so that the home crowd could enjoy a great show from their favourite player. At the time, such tactics prompted some unease. David Hopps wrote in the Wisden Almanack:...Hussain went too far in his attempts to smother Indias star batsman, Sachin Tendulkar. First, he instructed his bowlers to aim wide of off stump, to a seven-two or even eight-one field; then, when Tendulkar still made runs, Hussain told Giles (left-arm over) and Andrew Flintoff (right-arm round) to aim outside leg. The tactics had a touch of Douglas Jardine about them, as another England captain, Mike Brearley, remarked - saying that he felt a deep uneasiness. To oppose these ploys was to goad Hussain into employing them all the more. Hussains tactics prompted a sophisticated debate about the ethics of his approach. The question was not about the legality or success of the approach. The quedtion was, Is it right? The tactics made for gripping Test cricket. Even frustrated Indian fans had to admire Englands discipline in the field under Hussain. Tendulkar himself later expressed admiration for the skill of Ashley Giles, who enforced the spin portion of Hussains master plan. Any sport in which the ethics of a tactical choice can be debated is a truly great human invention.There are similar questions about a batsmans approach in a Test match. I remember a Test in St Lucia in 2006. India batted first and Virender Sehwag set off at breakneck speed. He reached 98 in 74 balls, and then, last ball before lunch, backed away to leg and tried to launch Corey Collymore over mid-off. He achieved a miscue and was nearly run out.It could be legitimately considered an irresponsibly cavalier way to end what was only the first session of a Test match. The conventional wisdom holds, with good reason, that when the going is good, a team should always imagine itself to be a couple of wickets worse off than it actually is. Theres no telling when the game can turn. But the alternative argument is that with certain special players it is right and proper to let them have their way because they can do things most other players cant.I grew up watching Tendulkar. Im old enough to remember his brutal stroke-making genius of the late-1990s. In his later years, I often found myself wishing that just once, he would stop being such a careful student of the game and let fly in a Test match. Thirty minutes of cavalier hitting. Thats what I wanted from Tendulkar. And yet, had Tendulkar played that way, he would no longer have been Tendulkar. Such frustrations form a wonderful part of being a cricket fan.Given that so much occurs on the field during a Test match, it is increasingly hard for me to understand people who say that they find Test cricket boring. Yes, at first glance it does look as if there is an agreement between bowler and batsman. At other times, it looks as though one side is simply too good for their opponent. Yes, it is true that violent, sudden explosions of devil-may-care play are rare. But beneath the low simmer of the Test match is a rich, complex, beguiling broth that is like a great work of literature - at once quotidian and unsettling.Over the last few years, the way I watch Test matches has changed. I watch a couple of hours, or even just one spell. I care less about the result these days. I get irritated when the broadcast does not regularly show how the field is set. I start watching, and soon I find myself asking what a particular player could be trying to achieve. Occasionally Ill exchange messages with a few select friends if they are also watching the game. Occasionally, as was the case when Kane Williamson was batting against a challenging Indian attack in the first innings in Kanpur in the recent series, it results in 20 wonderful overs. Ashwin v Williamson was a different sort of story of an offspinner and a batsman than Moeen v Kohli. But the wonderful thing about Test cricket is that there is just as much to see in a Moeen v Kohli battle as there was in that marquee hour in Kanpur. Cheap Air Max 97 Black .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Air Max 200 . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/cheap-air-max-95.html .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Cheap Authentic Air Max 95 . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach.Guus Hiddink suffered the first defeat of his second spell in charge of Chelsea as they went down 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie away to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke the deadlock late in the first half when his free-kick deflected off John Obi Mikel and into the net, but the Nigerian made amends soon after by firing home for the visitors from a corner.Diego Costa had chances before and after those goals but it was PSG substitute Edinson Cavani who came up with the winner as he drilled through the legs of Thibaut Courtois late in the second half. Here are the big talking points for Chelsea... Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the opening goal for PSG Hazard warningsThe build-up to the game had been dominated by talk of Eden Hazard and his ongoing flirtations with the French champions. Hiddink had urged the Chelsea winger to concentrate on his current employers, but opinion will be divided after this effort.Hazard worked hard enough in providing defensive support for the inexperienced Baba Rahman in the first half, allowing the full-back to tuck-in at times thanks to his tracking back. But crucially, he could not come up with a key moment at the other end.Serge Auriers indiscretions might have made his task easier with Marquinhos playing out of position at right-back, but Hazard was unable to truly test the Brazilian and was withdrawn with 20 minutes remaining. Can Hiddink rely on him to make a difference in the return leg? Eden Hazard had a quiet night for Chelsea after all the pre-match furore Mixed night for MikelCharged with protecting the Chelsea defence, Mikel fell some way short when committing the foul for the free-kick from which Ibrahimovic opened the scoring. He even deflected the shot wide of Courtois and into the net. Mikels record gone This was the first match that John Obi Mikel has lost under Guus Hiddink in his two spells in charge. Phil Thompson, watching for Sky Sports, was particularly unimpressed. Youve got to be brave, youve got to just stand forward there he said. He literally twists round in the air. Why do these players do it, particularly in a Champions League game? Disgraceful.At least there was an element of redemption for the midfielder when he blasted the ball home from a corner soon afterwards for only his second-ever Champions League goal. In fact, that away goal could yet prove to be crucial. He literally twists round in the air. Why do these players do it, particularly in a Champions League game? Disgraceful. Phil Thompson on John Obi Mikel Life without TerryThe physical presence and leadership skills of John Terry were missing following his hamstring injury at the weekend and with Kurt Zouma also unavailable, confidence in Chelseas defence was not high going into the game.However, despite conceding twice, the makeshift back-line came out with credit as Gary Cahill and Branisllav Ivanovic repeatedly repelled PSG.dddddddddddd The pair blocked two shots apiece - more than anyone else on the pitch - with one stop from Blaise Matuidi particularly vital. Gary Cahill repelled a series of PSG attacks on a tough night for Chelsea Respect for RahmanRahman had a role to play too, with the 21-year-old full-back thrust into action in the biggest club game of his career so far. The young Ghanaian had his difficult moments but could be encouraged by his performance.Indeed, Rahman might even have provided the assist for the games opening goal had Costa converted his first-half cross. But this was a night for defensive work and with a game-high six interceptions, there was plenty of that in evidence too. Baba Rahman had a tough test in dealing with Angel Di Maria Costas costly missesCosta was denied a goal with the aforementioned chance thanks to a superb stop by Kevin Trapp, but he might still have been left feeling he could have removed the possibility of his header being saved.After the break, he was unable to provide the finish once more when one-on-one with the goalkeeper. On a night of small margins, it was Cavani who came up with the goal when it mattered. Costa owes his Chelsea team-mates one of his own in the return leg. Edinson Cavani put the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois for PSGs winner Willian wows againIt was Willian who provided the through-ball for the second of Costas big chances and the energetic midfielder was once again Chelseas most effective attacking outlet on the night. The Brazilians ability to carry the ball forwards at pace is such a threat.Willian provided four key passes, more than any other player on either side, including the corner from which Mikel equalised. His thrust will be needed in the second leg if Chelsea are to turn the tie around. John Obi Mikel wheels away after converting Willians corner for Chelsea So can they come back?A 2-1 defeat for Chelsea leaves the game intriguingly poised, particularly given that this contest has been decided on away goals in each of the past two seasons. Indeed, the Blues can hardly be written off, given that they reversed a 3-1 deficit in 2014.Chelsea have been some way short of hitting that form this season but they are also the only team unbeaten in the Premier League in 2016 and for all the flaws of their performance in Paris, any absurdity at the thought of Champions League progression is dissipating.After being dominated early on, there were enough moments of promise courtesy of Willian, Pedro and Cesc Fabregas to offer a reminder that this is a side populated by players of quality. There is hope for the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, March 9. Also See: PSG 2-1 Chelsea As it happened Thommo: Chelsea have a chance Champions League fixtures ' ' '